Moody has already been ruled out of the return fixture at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday and will not have a chance to show that he can endure the rigours of a Test match ahead of the announcement of the 30-man World Cup squad on August 22.

If that suggests grim prospects for the 33 year-old as he approaches his third World Cup tournament, the gloomy outlook is offset by the fact that tournament regulations allow England to replace an injured player at any time following the declaration of the travelling party, even if the injury is an old one.

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England, who will play Ireland in -Dublin on August 27, two days before they depart for New Zealand, could afford to give Moody time to recover, given that following their tricky opening Pool B match against Argentina in Dunedin on September 10, they play Georgia and Romania before their final group game against Scotland.

England made no attempt yesterday to downplay the possible loss of Moody. "Will he be missed? Of course he will," said Rowntree, the England forwards coach who was a one-time team-mate of Moody for his country as well as Leicester. "He's doing a great job in charge of our squad. He leads from the front with a lot of energy and the lads respect him for that.

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"We'll give him the time he needs. It's too early to say that he will be on the plane but we're very hopeful he'll be coming away with us. We wouldn't be the first World Cup squad that could be taking players who are injured at the moment. We've got no hard-and-fast rule as to whether we will take injured players."

England not only have to be sure that the injury has repaired but also that Moody is capable of performing at Test level having played only four matches in the past seven months. He originally sustained knee-ligament damage in a European Cup game against Aironi in January and has had various mishaps on the comeback trail.

For most players, the lack of match fitness would be an issue. In Moody's case, England are confident that his experience and bristling displays in summer camp more than compensate for any lack of sharpness.

"The way Lewis has trained and the way he has led the standards, it doesn't seem as if he's been out for seven months," Rowntree said. "He's exceptionally fit, keen and raring to go. He's in very good nick. All was going well. So, we're not worried."

Moody was able to do work in the gym yesterday, pedalling alongside Ben Foden on the exercise bike. The Northampton full-back made his first start for England in Moody's first match as captain under Martin Johnson against France in March 2010. Even though England lost narrowly, 12-10, in Paris to the Grand Slam champions, that game was seen as a turning point in England's -fortunes, with Moody's captaincy regarded as liberating.

"Lewis is a big character and his injury is disappointing," Foden said. "But injuries happen."

He highlighted Wales's Morgan Stoddart, who broke a leg against England last weekend. "It was sickening, but you've got to put it out of your mind. It's part and parcel of being a professional sportsman."

Foden has other matters on his mind, notably emulating the performance last weekend of his rival for the full-back slot, Delon Armitage.

"I've got to keep my nose ahead of him," said Foden, who has managed to do just that over the past 18 months, albeit Armitage made that process easier with two lengthy absences through suspension. "I enjoy that sort of pressure."

England will also be without prop Andrew Sheridan against Wales as he recovers from a shoulder operation while scrum-half Ben Youngs and centre Shontayne Hape are working their way back to fitness after injury.